Fate or Coincidence?
by keesha tenelli
Summary: Tim and Keesha are drifting apart. So are Arnold and Phoebe. When they're both lab partners for the year, was it fate or coincidence?


Coincidence?

It was the first week of a new school year and the whole gang was in the cafeteria eating lunch. They were no longer kids anymore, but now in the 9th grade, although they still had Ms. Frizzle as their science teacher. Tim, Keesha and Wanda were at one table while Arnold and Ralphie were eating Mallow Blasters. Phoebe was sitting next to D. A and Carlos. They were discussing how they started dating and were talking about Phoebe and Arnold starting to drift apart.

"So Phoebe, this is all about how relationships are formed, by starting off as friends," explained Dorothy Ann.

"Yeah, by kissing her on the nose! Haha!" joked Carlos.

"Carlos! You and I were friends first, not by kissing someone on the nose! _**That's **_how!" said Dorothy Ann.

"Oh sorry! But still it was a pretty good kiss on the nose, _**wasn't**_ it, D.A?" teased Carlos. He leaned closer, putting his elbow on D. A's shoulder.

By now Dorothy Ann was feeling miffed at this. She moved her shoulder off from Carlos's elbow blushing, which he didn't seem to mind much.

"Not now, Carlos," she groaned, tiredly.

"So, what I want to know is, how do I deal with my dilemma? I mean, Arnold's nice and all, but..." asked Phoebe, trailing off.

"But it looks like you're not filling in each others' needs," pointed Dorothy Ann.

"It sounds to me like you're incompatible now," pointed out Carlos. He was always good at finishing Dorothy Ann's thoughts, despite the bickering.

"That's not true!" protested Phoebe, loudly. She lowered her voice immediately. "But it does honestly feel...empty."

"I guess you guys thought you could handle it on your own," said Carlos.

"But you know it takes two to tango, right?" said Dorothy Ann.

"That's right," sighed Phoebe. She started playing with the salt and pepper shaker on the table. "I just wish I knew what to do."

"If you want, we can talk to Arnold about it," offered Dorothy Ann.

"No! That doesn't even sound right! Arnold is busy with his rock collection and rock collecting club! What are the chances he'll even care?" said Phoebe, showing her palms to her friends. Lately Arnold had been so busy with his own stuff that his neglect towards her had gotten so depressing.

"Don't worry about it Phoebe! We'll think of _**something**_," reassured Carlos.

"Oh, I hope you _**know**_ what you're doing, Carlos," said Dorothy Ann, warily.

"D. A, I know what you're doing, worrying," said Carlos. He leaned towards Phoebe.

"She worries too much!" he whispered in her ear.

"I do not!" Dorothy Ann protested, putting her hands on her hips.

RING!

"Oh, that's the lunch bell, D. A! Come on! I'll race you to class!" said Carlos, running off.

"You're on!" agreed D. A. She got up from her seat and slung her book bag on her shoulder.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!"

"I know you are, but what am I?" teased D. A.

They ran out of the cafeteria, forgetting about Phoebe, while she walked out slowly behind them. She sighed. _This is gonna be a long day _she thought.

That day, everyone went to their next class. Keesha and Wanda were arguing about who was right and who was wrong about Tim's Rubin vase for class they were looking at during lunchtime. When D. A entered the classroom, they both turned to her.

"I _**was**_ right D. A! Just tell her," said Keesha.

"No, I was! It's a lamp!"

"It's two faces, Wanda!"

"Lamp!"

"Two faces!"

"Lamp!"

"Okay, okay! You're both right! Now cut it out and sit down!" Dorothy Ann said, exasperatedly. She pointed to two seats in which they sat down while she herself took a table with another seat to sit in (in the middle row).

Carlos came in next and sat in the seat that Dorothy Ann saved for him, which was the same row as Wanda and Keesha's. Ralphie and Arnold came along next, getting squished in the doorway, which was a bit narrow.

"Arnold! Did you have to do this?" asked Ralphie, groaning.

"I only had _**two**_ Mallow Blasters not _**three**_!" glared Arnold. They both struggled for a while, until…

"Just get inside! We have class now!" called Keesha from inside the classroom. Arnold and Ralphie both pushed forward and fell in. They both got up to find a seat in the front row as Keesha went and took her spot.

Tim had also arrived shortly and chose a back seat next to Phoebe's, eyeing Keesha for a few seconds before settling down. Phoebe looked at him concerned and tapped him on the shoulder.

"You alright, Tim?" she asked.

"I'm okay, but Keesha's been giving me a hard time about my Rubin vase. They're a bit tricky to do," said Tim, facing Phoebe. He pulled out the drawing from his folder and handed it to Phoebe.

"We've been arguing about what it looks like and she keeps saying she only sees two faces while I've been telling her that there's also a vase there too," he explained further.

"Wow," said Phoebe, amazedly. Tim chuckled and put it back in his folder.

"You know, I`m sort of glad you understand Pheebs! It makes me feel a whole lot better," said Tim, smiling. "Arnold must be proud to have a girlfriend like you, you know," he continued, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, real lucky…" said Phoebe, looking at Arnold. She took out her books, a notebook and a pen on her desk, while Tim looked on before doing the same.

Just then, Ms. Frizzle entered the classroom placing her books on her desk. Her hair was slightly muddy red under a sunhat, but frizzy and her dress was themed with science lab equipment. Her earrings were test tubes on each side and a hook hung around it. She smiled and turned to face the class.

"Good afternoon class!" she said, cheerily.

"Good afternoon Ms. Frizzle!" said the gang.

"Has everyone finished their science reports yet?" asked Ms. Frizzle.

"Yes, Ms. Frizzle!" they replied. The class has been tasked to write a science report before they started picking out lab partners for the year. They were supposed to pick one object from their environment and write out what made it a part of science and why.

"Well then, by all means, please come up and put them on the desk. Then we shall be discussing lab partners this year!" she continued.

Everyone came up to the front to put their science reports on Ms. Frizzle's desk one after another then sat back down. She stepped in front of her desk to face the class and held her sunhat by the brim upside down.

"Write out your name on a piece of paper and put it in this hat. We will pick four people to draw out one name from it. Whoever you draw first will be your lab partner,"

The gang all took out a sheet of paper, tore out a small piece and passed it around the classroom. They took out a pen and wrote down their names then went to Ms. Frizzle to put it in the sunhat. She shook the hat to mix up the names, drew out four names and read them out loud.

"Alright class. The names that will get to draw for their lab partners first is; Carlos, Keesha, Tim and Ralphie," she announced. All four of them walked up to the front and lined up beside Ms. Frizzle.

"Who would like to go first?" asked Ms. Frizzle.

"I'll go!" said Carlos. He walked up and drew out one name from the hat and read it aloud. "I got Dorothy Ann!" he announced, holding it up.

"I'll go next," said Keesha, putting her hand in the hat. She read it out loud. "I got Arnold."

Ms. Frizzle turned to Ralphie and Tim. "Who will go next?" she asked.

"I'll go Ms. Frizzle!" said Tim, stepping to the front. He drew the name from the hat. "I got Phoebe!" he said.

"That leaves me last!" said Ralphie, coming up. He drew out the last name from the hat. "I get to work with…Wanda!" he said.

"Alright, Ralphie!" said Wanda, getting up. She ran up and high-fived him.

"I'm glad you feel that way Wanda! These are the lab partners you will have for the year. Okay, class! Now it's time to take your seats!" said Ms. Frizzle. Tim, Wanda, Keesha, Ralphie and Carlos all went back to their respective seats.

"Today, we will be starting our first lesson of the year," said Ms. Frizzle. She turned to the chalkboard and wrote with a piece of chalk. "Our first lesson will be about vertebrates and invertebrates."

Phoebe at this point hadn't paid much attention to Ms. Frizzle's lesson on the board. She placed her hand on her chin and looked out the window pondering. _Why didn't I get paired with Arnold? _she wondered. _I wanted to get paired to him, not Keesha. Oh it isn't fair._

By now, Tim had just noticed this and whispered "Cheer up, Pheebs, you can always talk to me! We're lab partners _**and **_friends," he smiled.

Phoebe felt herself blush after Tim said that, while Keesha glanced suspiciously at them.

"I have a feeling something is going on between them. But I'm not going to worry about it too much," said Keesha, quietly. She turned back to face the front and concentrated on Ms. Frizzle's lesson.

To be continued…


End file.
